Research

Understanding the origins and mechanisms of diseases, and advancing approaches to treating them, is a central focus of research in biology. Biomedical research at NYUAD aims to improve human health; by understanding the molecular processes and environmental factors causing disease, and developing preventive and therapeutic strategies. Research programs in biomedical research include:

• Mechanisms of mood disorders
• Relationship between circadian-rhythms, sleep-wake cycle and mood disorders
• Drug delivery in cancer
• Cellular basis of fatty liver disease
• Cancer biology
• Molecular networks regulating programmed cell death
• Cancer killing function of tumor suppressor lipids
• Mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions in malaria
• Medical genomics of cardio-metabolic diseases
• Regenerative and stem cell biology

Principal Investigators

Research Institute Centers

Understanding how organisms interact with their environment and with each other is at the center of the field of environmental biology. Laboratories at NYUAD are interested in a wide range of environmental questions, from adaptation to extreme environments, to the impact of human activities on ecosystems. The following research projects at NYUAD fall within this field:

• Genomic signatures of adaptation in organisms from extreme environments
• Physiological and ecological responses of fauna to environmental extremes
• Understanding the causes of algal bloom
• Symbiosis between phytoplankton and bacteria
• Conservation genomics of falcons
• Effect of arsenic exposure on metabolic health

Principal Investigators

Research Institute Centers

Genomics is a sub-field of biology interested in the evolution, function and regulation of the genome, defined as the total amount of DNA contained in a cell. The genome contains the genetic information necessary for all functions of living organisms, but it also contains a large amount of DNA with no known function. We are in the midst of the genomic revolution, and several research projects developed at NYUAD are at the leading edge of this field, applying genomic approaches to understand the evolution, function and regulation of the genome. Examples of specific projects developed at NYUAD include:

• The impact of transposable elements on the evolution of vertebrate genomes
• Cytoskeletal proteins in genomic regulation and nuclear dynamics
• Chromatin regulation during development and differentiation
• Epigenetic regulation of genomic organization
• Regulation of gene expression
• Algal genomics
• Human population genomics
• Assessing genomic variation and its impact on evolution and disease susceptibility

Principal Investigators

Research Institute Centers